The Problem With Dating
by NeotericSchism
Summary: A few of Roy's friends are oblivious to the fact that he's seeing someone and he's just as oblivious to their own situation. Until they find out. Fall, 2007, Schismverse


"Hex?" Ana called out, knocking lightly on the door to her brother's dorm room with one hand. Her other hand wasn't free to do so, as it was currently being clutched very tightly by a terrified Daniel who stood only a foot behind her. She waited for a response, turning a reassuring smile to him.

Dan grinned back very slightly, though still horrified at the thought of meeting Hex. The thought of being anywhere near him had frightened Dan since he first saw the chimera.

The door opened, Hex poking his horned head out. "Hey, Sis!" He let it swing the rest of the way, revealing a much cleaner dorm room than most would expect, not to mention his rather large, yellow feet and dangerous-looking tail. "What's up- Hi," he said, the latter part directed at Dan.

She wrapped him in a hug, allowing her hand slip away from Dan for the time being, and walked in to the room. "Uh, well... we... were kind of hoping you had a minute to talk," she said, seeming a bit... nervous about something, a trait that she normally didn't display.

Dan visibly shrank back, seeing Hex's large, not to mention bright, feet and tail. "H-hi," he stammered, scared even more than before of the chimera. His tail alone looked like it could kill him. He followed Ana into the room quickly.

Kain was in class, and Hex had been studying, as made obvious by the books strewn on his bed- most alchemy, others chemistry. He turned, leaving the door open and sitting on his bed. "Yeah. Just studying. What did you wanna talk about?"

They shared a glance, and Ana went and sat on the roommate's bed, folding a leg beneath her as she did so. She waited until Dan was sitting - taking the chair at one of the tables - before looking to her brother again.

"Um. Well. You know Dan and I met a few months ago in Professor Abbers' English class, right?"

Dan fidgeted nervously in his seat, looking constantly from Ana to Hex, as well as playing with the side pocket of his cargo pants.

"Yeah?" the chimera returned, glancing at part of his textbook before shutting his most recent read.

Another fidget, from her this time, and she met those familiar blue eyes that had been in her life for so long. How was he going to take this? He had every right to be protective of her. All the things from her past, things she even had yet to fully explain to Dan. That, of course, was being planned for another time, after this, so she really had to concentrate on the problem at hand.

She could only hope that Hex was still understanding enough beneath his innate need to protect her from everything like a good big brother should.

"...Well. He... asked me out about two months ago. We've been dating since then."

"...Oh," he said, and seemed perfectly calm about the entire thing. Unless... was he fidgeting?

Dan began to mentally write his will right then and there, scared about Hex's almost nonchalant reply to Ana's news to him.

_That was way too easy. ...what's going on here? _Ana cast an odd expression in Dan's direction, one that he probably wouldn't completely understand, and looked back to her brother, leaning forward a bit with her hands clasped in front of her.

"...That wasn't the reaction I was expecting. Is there something you want to tell me, Hex?"

"Well, I guess I-... can't be very... riled up," he admitted, using the words their mother had always offered up when they'd gotten too rowdy. "Since I-..."

There was a knock on the door frame, a dark-haired head peering around the corner. Twin onyx eyes blinked in confusion, an eyebrow lifting.

"Ahh... is this a bad time, Hex?" Roy said, head tilting. "I thought we were going soon."

Dan looked from Roy to hex, no longer fidgeting, but now perplexed. He leaned towards Ana. "What's going on?" he asked in a whispered murmur.

"I... I'm not sure," Ana whispered back, her own expression seeming to mimic Roy's confusion.

"Ah! Roy, um. Hi," he offered, slightly sheepish. "I told you about my sister, right? Er- you've met," he continued. "And this is Dan. They stopped by to say hi!"

It was both eyebrows now, and something akin to a light turning on flickered in Ana's features. She grinned, grabbing Dan's hand and tugging him to stand up. "We were just leaving. Nice to see you again, Roy."

"...You sure?" Roy asked uncertainly, scratching behind his head as he moved from the wall where he stood. "I can come back another time."

"No, no, its perfectly alright!" Ana chirped, far too cheerful all of a sudden.

Dan tilted his head at Roy. "Err, hi there?" he offered, confused still.

Roy gave his own confused wave back at Dan, looking between Hex and his sister.

Hex's glance, too, was back and forth, from Dan to Ana, and then from Roy to Ana and back again. "Hey- hey wait! What-... I'm so confused," he said.

Dan looked around at everyone as well, also confused.

"We have that English test to study for anyway, Dan," she insisted. She gave Hex a tight hug, and pulled Dan toward the doorway.

There was a pause, just long enough for her to stop at Roy's shoulder and say in a hushed voice, "If you hurt my brother, I will destroy you. Don't think that I'm not capable of it."

And then she was gone, down the hall with Dan being dragged behind her.

Roy stared, mostly at Hex, but with a look that indicated he was rather... flustered at the sudden words to him.

The blush that had crossed Hex's nose at Ana's words was terribly red, and very, very badly concealed, especially with the way the rest of his face had seemed to pale. He didn't even have a chance to get out her name before she left, instead stuttering an "Um, uh-" at Roy.

"...I'll...come back later," Roy muttered, scratching at his cheek lightly.

"No, wait!" Hex manged, flailing his way up. "Sorry. It... it's kinda weird. Ana just, um..."

"...All this time I heard you were the one who was over protective of her," Roy commented after he was stopped. A light grin appeared, and he laughed. "I guess when it comes down to it, siblings have to look out for each other, right?"

He grinned sheepishly, brushing his bangs out of his face. "Well, yeah, I-... We kinda... promised to, when we were little."

"Understandable," Roy said, turning back around. "That's the trouble with being close friends with someone. You have to make sure that you make friends with their family, too. Now..." he said, holding his hand out. "Are we going to get pizza or what? I'm starving!"


End file.
